A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Monday 26 May 2014

Kitchen - History of the Home [1/4]

Bathroom - History of the Home [2/4]



Interestingly enough, I still remember some of these items in our 18th century family home, and also in my Grandparents home in South Wales. Wash bowls were accompanied by water jugs in each bedroom. We even had a closed stool with a fancy embroidered top to the lid. 
When I moved to Australia and got married we lived a similar sort of lifestyle, though we did wash every day!  With no water on tap, water had to be carried in and was heated in large kettles over the open fire, suspended on chains and hooks hanging from an old buggy axle. The toilet was an ash can in an outhouse. Our three boys were bathed in a tin bath in front of the fire just as I was when I was a child. The outhouse was also equipped with a wash bowl and water jug. We lived this 18th century lifestyle for about 20 years.
Keith.

Fimbulmyrk: Historical swords and cutlery in the Klingenmuseum...

Fimbulmyrk: Historical swords and cutlery in the Klingenmuseum...: You all have read my post about the Knifemaker´s Fair in Solingen Klingenmuseum which...

The Sealed Knot and The 30 Years War. Promotional Video. Short.

Friday 23 May 2014

The Old Foodie: To Make a Pye to Keep Long.

The Old Foodie: To Make a Pye to Keep Long.: In the days long before refrigeration, one way of keeping meat for a prolonged period was to bake it in a pie – a particular sort of pie th...

Thursday 22 May 2014

COLONIAL AMERICAN DIGRESSIONS: COLONIAL OCCUPATION: POTTER

COLONIAL AMERICAN DIGRESSIONS: COLONIAL OCCUPATION: POTTER:   Potter's Kick-Wheel Courtesy of Wikisource   Dear Reader, The wooden bar at bottom left of the image, connecte...

The Oilcloth & The Blanket, Questions Answered. Video.



"This morning an account was bro't to town, that a large army of French
and Indians were seen at a small distance from the German flats, but few
here believe it. Sir William Johnson is still in readiness, with 1500 of
the militia. Every man in the French army that came against Fort William
Henry, was equipped in the following manner, viz. With two pair of
Indian shoes, 2 pair of stockings, 1 pair of spatterdashes, 1 pair of
breeches, 2 jackets, 1 large over-coat, 2 shirts, 2 caps, 1 hat, 1 pair
of mittens, 1 tomahawk, 2 pocket-knives, 1 scalping knife, 1 steel and
flint, every two men an ax, and every four a kettle and oilcloth for a
tent, with one blanket and a bearskin, and 12 days provision of pork and
bread; all which they drew on little hand-sleighs."

 Extract of a letter from Albany, dated April 2, 1757 printed in the
Boston Gazette, April 18, 1757.}

Tuesday 20 May 2014

The Old Foodie: The Right Management of Oatmeal.

The Old Foodie: The Right Management of Oatmeal.: William Ellis (c1700-1758) was a farmer in Herefordshire, England, who became a prolific and popular writer on agriculture and rural domest...

Sunday 18 May 2014

The Old Foodie: A Tax Upon Your Fireplace.

The Old Foodie: A Tax Upon Your Fireplace.: When Charles II was restored to the throne of England in 1660, Parliament granted him annual income of £1,200,000. Unfortunately for the ge...

School of the Renaissance Artisan: Continuing on with Costrels, Cordwaining, and 6th ...

School of the Renaissance Artisan: Continuing on with Costrels, Cordwaining, and 6th ...: Welcome back. Where was I? My workbench is such a mess right now... Oh, yes... cordwaining. We were making shoes, weren't we?  ...

Tuesday 13 May 2014

The Old Foodie: A Bill of Fare for May, in 1737.

The Old Foodie: A Bill of Fare for May, in 1737.: Yesterday I gave you a recipe for fresh vermicelli from one of my favourite eighteenth century sources. I have to admit that part of the re...

Monday 12 May 2014

The Old Foodie: Macaroni Yesterday, Vermicelli Today.

The Old Foodie: Macaroni Yesterday, Vermicelli Today.: As I mentioned yesterday, the early English references to ‘macaroni’ do not specifically indicate the short tubular form of pasta as the wo...

Costume Historian: Hollar's ladies in winter clothing 1639-1649

Costume Historian: Hollar's ladies in winter clothing 1639-1649: Figure 1 - Pennington 609 Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) published a large number of costume prints in the middle of the seventeenth cent...

More on Travel in the 18th Century.

http://clermontstatehistoricsite.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/getting-around-travel-in-18th-century.html

Project Gutenberg's Stage-coach and Tavern Days, by Alice Morse Earle


Friday 9 May 2014

This Week In Pennsylvania Archaeology: E is for Effigy

This Week In Pennsylvania Archaeology: E is for Effigy:  You have seen the word effigy in several of our blogs.  We most often use it when referring to our departmental logo the Washington Boro Fa...

Seaman's Slops. Museum Of London.

According to the museum of London this style of clothing was worn by seamen from the 16th century (1500s) into the 18th century (1700s).

Front

Back.

















Notice the pattern on the main body of the frock. This is apparently made from Lindsey Wolsey, a mix of linen & wool.
http://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/Online/object.aspx?objectID=object-83031&rows=1&start=2&sort=summaryTitle%20asc;

Monday 5 May 2014

Making A Simple Leather Sword Scabbard Frog. Short Video.




No special tools used during this construction. I made my own awl, and I cut the leather with my clasp knife. I used a fire log to place the leather on to make the holes. It took me about an hour to make.